NBA: Sizzling fourth quarter from James Harden seals Brooklyn Nets’ victory over Toronto Raptors

Kevin Durant and James Harden combined for Brooklyn Nets as they trumped the Toronto Raptors 116-103 on Sunday. Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, his most in any quarter this season. Along with Durant’s 31 points, Blake Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Patty Mills scored 13 points to help Steve Nash earn the victory in his first trip north of the border as an NBA head coach.

Meanwhile, the Nets have now won their fifth straight game and are 7-3 for the season. 

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Durant scored 20 points for the tenth consecutive game, extending both his career-best start to a season and the Nets’ record for 20-point games in a season.

Durant was in Toronto for the first time since injuring his left Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals while playing for Golden State. The 11-time All-Star made 11 of 18 shots, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the line. He pulled down seven rebounds and dished out seven assists.

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Harden had a thunderous game as he narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Nets guard missed his first seven shots from beyond the arc before connecting with 4:34 left to play the fourth, extending a seven-point Nets lead to double digits.

Durant scored 12 points in the first as the Nets led 29-26 after one. VanVleet scored 13 points in the second, going 6 for 6 at the free-throw line, and Toronto led 60-53 at halftime.

The Raptors dropped their second consecutive game after winning their previous five. Fred VanVleet had 21 points, OG Anunoby had 16 points, and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points.

After missing the first ten games due to left shoulder surgery, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam got his first start of the season. In 25 minutes, Siakam scored 15 points. He went 5 for 12 on his shots.

With inputs from the Associated Press